Animal litter containing a water-swellable clay, carboxymethylcellulose, and siliceous coated bicarbonate particles

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed an animal litter composition comprising 1) a particulate, water absorbent clayey component, e.g., sodium bentonite, containing at least one water-swellable clay mineral, e.g. montmorillonite; 2) a water-soluble salt, e.g., a sodium salt of a carboxymethylcellulose; and optionally (3) a solid particulate deodorizing additive component comprising sodium bicarbonate (SBC) or potassium bicarbonate (KBC), the particles of which are substantially coated with a mineral oil, mixed with a powdered siliceous material, e.g., expanded perlite, having a bulk density significantly lower than the density of SBC or KBC, the coated particles of SBC or KBC being stably adhered to and agglomerated with the particles of the siliceous material. On contact with a waste aqueous liquid such as urine, the litter composition forms clumps which can be easily removed from the remainder of the litter and can be disposed of with relatively little disintegration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to novel clumpable animal litters.

2. Information Disclosure Statement including Description of Related Art

The following information is disclosed in accordance with the provisionsof 37 CFR 1.56, 1.97 and 1.98.

As is well-known, many species of animals and birds are raised and/orkept by people for various purposes, e.g., as pets; for the productionof valuable products such as food or furs; or for experimental purposes.A major problem connected with the raising and/or keeping of animals isthe disposition of their waste excretions, mainly urine and feces.Whether the animal or bird is caged, in which case its waste isdeposited on the floor of the cage, or allowed to roam free but istrained to deposit its waste in a particular receptacle, a "litter"material is generally employed which is capable of absorbing the liquidportion of waste excretions, primarily urine and the excess liquid offecal matter.

Of particular interest as the basic component of animal litters are theclayey soils or comminuted rocks, e.g. the sodium bentonites, comprisingat least one water-swellable clay mineral in the montmorillonite clayfamily, since these materials have the ability to clump and harden aftercontact with an aqueous liquid such as urine. This facilitates theremoval of only the soiled portion of the litter in a litter box or cageduring cleaning without the necessity of removing all the litter.However, while the water absorption properties of litters based onwater-swellable clay make them more effective in reducing the mess ofanimal waste excretions between cleanings, due to the tendency of theclay to form clumps, it has been found that such clumps often tend todisintegrate before proper disposal. This decreases the effectiveness ofthe cleaning process.

With regard to the odor problem connected with the use of animallitters, various deodorizing agents have been recommended for use insuch litters, including sodium bicarbonate (SBC). However, when SBC isutilized in the form of an unmodified powder as a deodorizing agent inanimal litter, it tends to "wick" and dissolve in the aqueous phase ofany animal waste products present, in which dissolved state it does notexert any deodorizing effect. Furthermore, due to its relatively highdensity, it tends to sink to the bottom of any litter compositionpresent in the cage or litter box. To overcome these disadvantages, ithas been proposed that the SBC be utilized in the animal litter inencapsulated form. However, the preparation of encapsulated SBC is anexpensive procedure which renders the employment of SBC in this formimpractical for many applications.

The following prior art references illustrate aspects of the technologyof animal litter preparation, and, in particular, disclose the use ofclays in such litters.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,371 issued Oct. 16, 1973 to Fisher, discloses afoamed plastic for absorbing and/or adsorbing animal waste products andalso identifies clay and bentonites as previously used animal litters.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,275,684 issued Jun. 30, 1981 and 4,395,357 issued Jul.26, 1983 to Kramer et al., disclose calcium silicate as an animal litterbox absorbent material, and state that clay minerals, e.g. sepiolites,are known litters.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,761 issued Feb. 16, 1982 to Larrson et al., teachesthe use of aerated or foamed concrete to absorb animal waste productsand facilitate the removal of excrement from a litter box, and alsodiscloses that "porous granulates of burnt expanded clay" is known foruse as a urine absorbent.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,481 issued Jan. 22, 1985 to Rodriguez et al.,discloses the addition of a soluble salt of a transition metal fromGroup Ib or IIb of the Periodic Table to a conventional littercomposition to prevent the development of urine odors, and alsoidentifies "clay such as . . . montmorillonites or bentonites" assuitable for use as an animal litter.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,573 issued Feb. 18, 1986 to Lohman, discloses ananimal litter composition containing 60-94 wt. % of paper, 1-35 wt. % ofgypsum, and 3-12% of water, and also states that clay, fuller's earth,and vermiculite are employed in cat litter compositions.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,763 issued Jan. 27, 1987 to Greenberg, teaches theaddition of sodium sulfate to a litter box absorbent material tofacilitate removal of solid absorbent material from the litter box, andteaches that clays such as montmorillonite and hectorite are suitable asabsorbent material.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,420 issued Aug. 11, 1987 to Stuart, discloses ananimal litter composition comprising a water-absorbing polymer such as apolyacryate combined with a porous inert solid substrate such as clay.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,115 issued Mar. 19, 1991 to Hughes, discloses theuse of a water swellable bentonite clay as an absorbent litter material.The clay absorbs the liquids in animal waste which on contacting theclay agglomerates it into a stable mass easily separated from theunwetted and unsoiled portion of the composition.

Pending application Serial No. 08/056,511, filed May 3, 1993, disclosesand claims the deodorizing additive which may be used in the littercompositions of this invention.

Pending application Serial No. 08/056,629, filed May 3, 1993, disclosesand claims animal litter compositions containing a water-swellable clayand the deodorizing additive component which may be used in the littercompositions of this invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention, there is provided an animal littercomprising (1) a particulate water-absorbent clayey component, e.g. aclayey soil or comminuted rock such as a sodium bentonite, containing atleast one water-swellable clay mineral, e.g. montmorillonite; and (2) awater-soluble salt of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). As an optionalcomponent, the litter composition may also contain (3) as a deodorizingadditive component for the clayey component, a solid particulatecomposition comprising sodium bicarbonate (SBC) or potassium bicarbonate(KBC), the particles of which are substantially coated with a mineraloil, blended with a powdered siliceous material, e.g., expanded perlite,having a bulk density significantly lower than the density of SBC orKBC, the coated particles of SBC or KBC being stably adhered to andagglomerated with the particles of the siliceous material.

Because of the water swellability of the clay mineral contained in theclayey component and the presence of the CMC salt, the litter tends toform hardened clumps wherever it is contacted with an aqueous liquidsuch as urine. Moreover such clumps can be easily scooped up from thelitter box or cage without removing the portions of the litter whichhave not been contacted with the urine, and can be disposed of withrelatively little disintegration. The improvement in the resistance todisintegration of the clumps formed by the litters of this inventionwhen contacted with an aqueous liquid such as animal urine is apparentlydue to some unobvious interaction between the water-swellable clay andthe CMC salt in the presence of water since the same effect is notnecessarily present when a CMC salt is added to a litter compositioncontaining a water absorbent material other than a water-swellable clay.

If the deodorizing additive component is also present in the littercomposition, any urine odors which tend to form between removal of theurine containing clumps or due to small clumps or traces of urine whichare not removed with the larger clumps, tend to be eliminated orminimized by the SBC or KBC in such additive component. Since the SBC orKBC particles in the deodorizing additive component present in thelitters of this invention are largely coated with mineral oil and areagglomerated with the siliceous material, they have little or notendency to wick and dissolve into the aqueous phase of the animal wasteproducts deposited in the litter. Moreover, the large effect of themineral oil, due to its capillarity, surface tension and viscosity, incausing the SBC or KBC to adhere to and agglomerate with the lower bulkdensity siliceous material, results in a reduction of the overalldensity of the particles containing SBC or KBC in the composition of thedeodorizing additive component, so that such density is substantiallylower than that of the SBC or KBC itself. Thus, there is a much smallertendency for the particles of the deodorizing additive component of thelitter to sink to the bottom of the litter box or cage containing thelitter than there is when pure SBC or KBC is added. The additivecomponent therefore provides means for the SBC or KBC to exert itsdeodorizing effect while dispersed throughout the litter, even in thepresence of a considerable amount of aqueous liquid such as urine.

Due to the necessity for the SBC or KBC in the deodorizing additivecomponent which may be employed in the animal litter of this inventionto be thoroughly coated with mineral oil and to be efficientlyagglomerated with the particles of siliceous material, the method ofpreparation of the additive component is somewhat significant. Thus, inmost cases, the pure SBC or KBC must be blended with sufficient mineraloil to substantially coat the particles while still maintaining apowdery consistency, and the powder of coated particles is then blendedwith a powder of the siliceous material to obtain a powder compositioncomposed of stable agglomerates of coated SBC or KBC and siliceousmaterial.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As stated, the water-absorbent clayey component of the animal litters ofthis invention may be, for example, a clayey soil or comminuted rockcontaining at least one water swellable clay mineral. Such clay mineralmay be, for example, a montmorillonoid or smectite, having athree-layer, sheet structure crystal lattice with two layers ofsilicon/oxygen tetrahedrons between which is a central layer of aluminumand/or magnesium/oxygen dioctahedrons or trioctahedrons. Part of thesilicon in the tetrahedral layers may be substituted with aluminum andpart of the aluminum and/or magnesium in the central octahedral layermay be substituted with other elements such as lithium, chromium, zinc,or iron. Contemplated montmorillonoid clay minerals are montmorilloniteand nontronite containing a dioctahedral central layer, and hectorite,saponite, and sauconite containing a trioctohedral central layer.

When the foregoing montmorillonoid clay minerals are contacted withwater or water vapor, the water molecules penetrate between the layerscausing interlayer or intracrystalline swelling and expansion of theentire lattice. This causes the particles of clayey component in theanimal litter to agglomerate thus facilitating the removal of only thatportion of the litter which is swelled by urine or other aqueous wasteliquid.

The clayey component may have a particle size in the range, for example,of about 300 to 2500 microns (about 50 to 8 U.S. mesh size), preferablyabout 420 to 840 microns (about 40 to 20 U.S. mesh size).

The preferred clayey component of the animal litter of the invention isa comminuted bentonite, more preferably a sodium bentonite, whichcontains a preponderant amount of montmorillonite clay mineral Otherclayey components which may be used are the attapulgite clays and/ormixtures of bentonites from various sources.

The base clayey component may be present in an amount, for example, ofabout 80 to 98 wt. %, preferably about 90 to 95 wt. % based on theweight of the litter composition.

The water-soluble CMC salt contemplated in the litter compositions ofthis invention is, for example an alkali metal salt, e.g. a sodium orpotassium salt, preferably a sodium salt of a CMC having a numberaverage molecular weight of, for example about 200 to 2000, preferablyabout 700 to 800. The CMC salt may be present in an amount, for example,of about 0.1 to 2.0 wt. %, preferably about 0.25 to 1.0 wt. %, based onthe weight of the litter composition.

In general, any commercial grade of SBC or KBC may be used in preparingthe deodorizing additive component which may be optionally present inthe compositions of this invention. Thus, the particles of SBC or KBCmay be within the range of about 20 to 400 U.S. mesh size, preferablyabout 40 to 140 U.S. mesh size, and may have an SBC or KBC purity of atleast about 90 wt. % preferably at least about 99 wt. %. The SBC or KBCis usually present in the deodorizing additive component in an amount ofabout 80 to 99 wt. % preferably about 95 to 98 wt. %, based on the totalweight of the additive component.

Any conventional and available mineral oil may be used in preparing thedeodorizing additive component, e.g., those having a density of about0.830 to 0.905 g/cc. at 15.6° C. and a viscosity of about 3 to 80centistokes at 40° C. The amount of mineral oil employed is generally inthe range of about 0.1 to 2.0 wt. %, preferably about 0.5 to 1.0 wt. %based on the weight of SBC or KBC.

The powdered siliceous material having a bulk density significantlylower than SBC or KBC may be obtained, for example, from a type ofglassy igneous rock, e.g., a rhyolitic glass such as perlite, comprisinghydrated silica and containing spheroidal and convoluted concentriccracks causing it to break up into small pearlike masses or pebbles.When this type of material is crushed and "expanded," i.e., heated to atemperature above that at which its water of hydration is liberated, itforms particles of thin spherical or ellipsoidal shells and theirfragments and other scaly or flaky siliceous particles which may be usedin the compositions of this invention. Expanded perlite is the preferredsiliceous material for use in this invention.

Other specific siliceous materials which may be utilized in thedeodorizing additive component which may be present in the animallitters of this invention are rhyolitic glasses other than perlite andphyllosilicates containing water of hydration, e.g., vermiculite, whichhave been subjected to expansion. As is the case with perlite, heatingthese materials to a temperature above that at which their water ofhydration is liberated causes them to expand physically to a substantialdegree resulting in an appreciable decrease in their bulk density.

The siliceous material, e.g., expanded perlite, utilized in thedeodorizing additive component may have a bulk density in the range of,for example, 50 to 300 g/1 preferably about 70 to 150 g/l and a particlesize, for example, of about 20 to 400 U.S. mesh size, preferably about50 to 200 U.S. mesh size. It may be present in the deodorizing additivecomponent in an amount, for example, of about 0.5 to 20 wt. %,preferably about 1 to 5 wt. %, based on the weight of the finaldeodorizing additive component. Within the foregoing ranges, the weightpercent of siliceous material in the deodorizing additive component maybe adjusted such that the density of the particles in such component iscloser to that of the particles of the clayey component of the litterfor which the additive is intended than the density of pure SBC or KBC.This has the effect of reducing the tendency of the deodorizingparticles to settle to the bottom of the mass of litter in the litterbox or cage.

The deodorizing additive component, if utilized, may be present in thelitter composition in an amount, for example, of about 2 to 20 wt. %,preferably about 5 to 10 wt. %, based on the weight of the littercomposition.

The litter compositions of this invention may also optionally contain afragrance component. This may be a powdery "fragrance preblend"comprising a pleasant smelling oily liquid or "perfume oil" absorbed onparticles of a fragrance carrier having a high surface to volume ratio.The perfume oil may comprise one or more essential or synthetic oilswhich are well-known in the art as providing a pleasant odor to thecomposition containing them and also as having the capability ofsomewhat masking unpleasant odors. The fragrance carrier may be any of agroup of siliceous and other materials also well-known in the art ashaving a high surface to volume ratio and as being able to absorbperfume oils efficiently while maintaining their powdery consistency,e.g., dimorphous silicas or starches. The perfume oil may be present inthe fragrance preblend in an amount, for example, of about 25 to 75 wt.% based on the total weight of preblend, and the particle size offragrance carrier and preblend may be in the range, for example, of 50to 400 U.S. mesh size. The fragrance preblend may be blended into thelitter composition at any point separate from the initial blending ofmaterials making up the deodorizing additive component if such componentis utilized, and may be present in the final litter composition in anamount, for example, of about 0.5 to 3.0 wt. % based on the weight ofthe total composition.

The fragrance may also be utilized in encapsulated form or as a spraydried component.

The litter composition may also optionally contain zinc oxide (ZnO)which exerts a bactericidal action on the waste products in the litter.Since at least some of the foul odors of urine and fecal matter over aperiod of time is caused by the bacterial breakdown of the components ofsuch matter, the anti-bacterial action of the ZnO results in a reductionof the generation of such odors. If employed, the ZnO may be addedseparately with the other components in the preparation of the litter orincluded in the preparation of the deodorizing additive component ifsuch component is employed. The ZnO may be present in an amount, forexample, of about 0.1 to 1 wt. % of the litter composition, or about 5to 10 wt. % of the deodorizing additive component of the ZnO isincorporated in the preparation of such component subsequently used inthe litter composition. The ZnO may have a primary (unagglomerated)particle size of about 5 nanometers to 300 microns, preferably about 5nanometers to 10 microns.

In preparing the deodorizing additive component if such is intended tobe utilized in the litter compositions of this invention, the SBC or KBCand mineral oil are separately blended, e.g., by adding the SBC or KBCto a mixer and spraying the mineral oil into the mixer while the SBC orKBC is being agitated. After all the mineral oil is added, the blendingprocedure may be continued for a period, for example, of about 5 to 20min. The siliceous material having a relatively low bulk density, e.g.,expanded perlite, may then be added to the mixer where it is blendedwith the SBC or KBC/mineral oil mixture for a period of, for example,about 5 to 20 minutes.

If a fragrance is intended to be present, a fragrance preblend may beseparately prepared, e.g., by adding a portion of the fragrance carrierto a mixer, initiating spraying of the perfume oil into the mixer whilethe remainder of the fragrance carrier is added, and continuing blendinguntil a lump-free consistent powder is obtained. The blending period forpreparation of the fragrance preblend may be, for example, about 10 to60 min.

As stated, the fragrance and/or ZnO, if used, may be incorporated in thelitter composition at any point separate from the initial blending ofSBC or KBC, mineral oil, and siliceous material in the preparation ofthe deodorizing additive component if such component is intended to bepresent in the litter composition. For example, the ZnO and then thefragrance may be added to the mixture of SBC or KBC, mineral oil andsiliceous material during the preparation of the deodorizing additivecomponent, and blending continued, e.g., for a period of about 5 to 20min. for each component, until the final deodorizing additive componentis obtained. Alternatively, the CMC salt, fragrance if used, and ZnO ifused, may be blended with the clayey component before the latter isblended with the deodorizing additive component if used, or they may beblended with the mixture of clayey component and deodorizing additivecomponent after these two components are blended.

The foregoing blending procedures may be carried out in any conventionalequipment intended for the blending of a particulate solid material withother solid materials or liquids. Examples of suitable equipment areribbon blenders, V-shell blenders, Marion mixers, and Norda mixers.

The litter compositions of this invention may be used for a wide varietyof animals and birds, e.g., uncaged household pets such as cats anddogs, particularly puppies too young to be walked, caged pets such ashamsters, gerbils and rabbits, caged laboratory animals such as guineapigs, mice, rats and monkeys, animals raised for fur such as mink,barnyard birds such as chickens, ducks and geese, and pet birds such asparrots, parakeets, canaries and pigeons.

In addition to the components described previously, the littercomposition of this invention may contain other components for variouspurposes, e.g., disinfectants and colorants.

The compositions of this invention are particularly suitable for use ascat litters.

The invention is further by the following examples. All parts are byweight.

EXAMPLE 1

This example shows the preparation of a litter composition of thisinvention containing a deodorizing additive component but no fragrance.The deodorizing additive component was first prepared as follows:

Sodium bicarbonate (SBC) having a purity of over 99% and a particle sizein the range of about 40 to 140 U.S. mesh size was charged in an amountof 96 parts to a ribbon blender while 0.5 -2.0 parts of mineral oilhaving a density of about 0.850 g/cc at 15.6° C. and a viscosity ofabout 12 centistokes at 40° C. was being sprayed into the blender. Thecharging of the SBC and mineral oil was accomplished in 31/2 min. andblending of the two components was continued for another 8 min. Twoparts of expanded perlite having a bulk density of about 100 g/l andparticle size in the range of about 50 to 200 U.S. mesh size was thenadded to the blender in the course of 21/2 min. and blending wascontinued for 5 additional minutes.

The foregoing deodorizing additive component is blended with 90 wt. % ofcomminuted sodium bentonite having a particle size distribution of about20 to 40 U.S. mesh size, and 1 wt. % of a sodium CMC having a numberaverage molecular weight of about 800.

EXAMPLE 2

This example illustrates the preparation of a litter composition of thisinvention containing a deodorizing additive composition which in turncontains a fragrance.

A fragrance preblend was prepared by first charging a ribbon blenderwith 0.3 part of "Sipermat 22" dimorphous silica fragrance carrier andthen spraying into the blender 0.6 part of a perfume oil known in theart as having the property of at least partially masking unpleasantodors while adding an additional 0.3 part of fragrance carrier. Blendingwas continued for one hour from the addition of the perfume oil toobtain a finished fragrance preblend.

The fragrance preblend was then added to the additive compositionprepared in another ribbon blender as described in Example 1 andblending was continued for 11 min. to obtain the final deodorizingadditive component containing fragrance. The deodorizing additivecomponent is then blended with a base sodium bentonite component and asodium CMC as described in Example 1.

The litters of both Examples 1 and 2 are particularly suitable as catlitters but can also be used for other animals and birds. However used,the portions of the litter contacted with urine or other waste liquidsform agglomerated clumps which can be easily scooped up and separatedfrom the remainder of the litter not contacted with urine and which donot tend to disintegrate before disposal. Furthermore, if thedeodorizing additive component is present, the litter does not emiturine or other foul odors between cleanups as readily as other litterswhich do not contain such component.

We claim:
 1. An animal litter composition comprising 1) a particulatewater-absorbent, clayey component containing at least one waterswellable clay mineral; 2) a water-soluble salt ofcarboxymethylcellulose CMC; and 3) a solid particulate deodorizingadditive component comprising sodium bicarbonate (SBC) or potassiumbicarbonate (KBC), the particles of which are substantially coated witha mineral oil, mixed with a powdered siliceous material having a bulkdensity significantly lower than the density of said SBC or KBC, saidcoated particles of SBC or KBC being stably adhered to and agglomeratedwith said particles of siliceous material.
 2. The litter composition ofclaim 1 wherein said clay mineral is a montmorillonoid or smectite. 3.The litter composition of claim 2 wherein said clayey component is acomminuted bentonite and said at least one clay mineral ismontmorillonite.
 4. The litter composition of claim 3 wherein saidbentonite is a sodium bentonite.
 5. The composition of claim 1 whereinsaid CMC salt is a sodium CMC.
 6. The composition of claim 1 whereinsaid CMC salt has a number average molecular weight of about 200 to2000.
 7. The composition of claim 6 wherein said molecular weight isabout 700 to
 800. 8. The composition of claim 1 containing about 80 to98 wt. % of said claey component and about 0.1 to 2.0 wt. % of said CMCsalt.
 9. The composition of claim 1 containing about 90 to 95 wt. % ofsaid clay and about 0.25 to 1.0 wt. % of said CMC salt.
 10. The littercomposition of claim 1 also containing a fragrance having the propertyof at least partially masking unpleasant odors.
 11. The littercomposition of claim 1 wherein said deodorizing additive componentcomprises sodium bicarbonate.
 12. The litter composition of claim 1wherein said siliceous material is expanded perlite.
 13. The littercomposition of claim 1 wherein said siliceous material has a bulkdensity of about 50 to 300 g/l
 14. The litter composition of claim 13wherein said bulk density is about 70 to 150 g/l
 15. The littercomposition of claim 1 wherein said clayey component is present in anamount of about 80 to 98 wt. %, said CMC salt is present in an amount ofabout 0.1 to 2.0 wt. % and said deodorizing additive component ispresent in an amount of about 2 to 20 wt. %, based on the totalcomposition.
 16. The litter composition of claim 15 wherein saiddeodorizing additive component comprises about 80 to 99 wt. % of SBC orKBC, about 0.1 to 2.0 wt. % of mineral oil, and about 0.5 to 20 wt. % ofsiliceous material, based on the weight of deodorizing component. 17.The litter composition of claim 15 wherein said clayey component ispresent in an amount of about 90 to 95 wt. %, said CMC salt is presentin an amount of about 0.25 to 1.0 wt. %, and said deodorizing additivecomponent is present in an amount of about 5 to 10 wt. % based on theweight of the total composition.
 18. The litter composition of claim 17wherein said deodorizing additive component comprises about 92 to 98 wt.% of SBC or KBC, about 0.5 to 1.0 wt. % of mineral oil, and about 1 to 5wt. % of siliceous material, based on the weight of deodorizingcomponent.
 19. The composition of claim 1 also containing zinc oxide.20. The composition of claim 19 wherein solid zinc oxide has a primaryparticle size of about 5 nanometers to 10 microns.
 21. A method ofpreparing an animal litter composition comprising first preparing asolid particulate deodorizing additive component by mixing sodiumbicarbonate (SBC) or potassium bicarbonate (KBC) with sufficient mineraloil to substantially coat the particles of SBC or KBC while maintaininga solid particulate consistency, and blending said coated SBC or KBCwith a siliceous material having a bulk density substantially lower thanthe density of said SBC or KBC to produce said solid particulatedeodorizing additive component in which said coated SBC or KBC particlesare stably adhered to and agglomerated with the particles of saidsiliceous material, and subsequently blending said deodorizing additivecomponent with a particulate water absorbent clayey component containingat least one water-swellable clay mineral and a water soluble salt ofcarboxymethylcellulose.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein a powderedfragrance preblend prepared by blending a fragrance carrier with aperfume oil, is incorporated into said litter composition at any pointseparate from the initial mixing of SBC or KBC, mineral oil andsiliceous material in said deodorizing additive component.